57,860 Shares in Altria Group, Inc. $MO Bought by North Dakota State Investment Board

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board opened a new position in Altria Group, buying 57,860 shares valued at about $3.34 million in the fourth quarter.
• Altria’s latest earnings beat expectations, with Q1 EPS of $1.32 versus the $1.25 consensus and revenue of $4.76 billion, up 5.3% year over year. The company also guided FY 2026 EPS to a range of 5.56 to 5.72.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, implying an annualized yield of 5.8%. At the same time, analyst sentiment is mixed, with a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $69.33.

North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 57,860 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,336,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Altria Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock worth $9,282,143,000 after buying an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Altria Group by 19.4% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company's stock worth $1,285,575,000 after buying an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Altria Group by 0.4% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,705,159 shares of the company's stock worth $1,103,543,000 after buying an additional 59,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Altria Group by 1.1% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,747,828 shares of the company's stock worth $842,122,000 after buying an additional 132,846 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in Altria Group by 0.4% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,131,644 shares of the company's stock worth $801,412,000 after buying an additional 47,757 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup increased their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $69.33.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO opened at $73.67 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $123.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $74.56. The stock's fifty day moving average is $67.15 and its 200-day moving average is $63.11.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 88.70%.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc NYSE: MO is a U.S.-based consumer goods company whose principal business is the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company's operations are focused primarily on the U.S. market and include the production, marketing and distribution of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars. Its flagship cigarette franchise in the United States is sold through its operating subsidiaries and is among the most recognizable cigarette brands in the country.

Altria's principal operating businesses include Philip Morris USA (cigarettes), U.S.

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